Film Music and Indian Cinema

Film Music and Cinema of Interruptions

What is the primary function of film music?

Film music establishes setting, fashions mood, reinforces narrative, elucidates character motivations, and encourages audience absorption.

What are the elements that film music intersects with?

Film music intersects with forms, structures, patterns of meaning, and aspects like tonality, melody, harmony, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, and timbre.

Why is music necessary in film according to Katharine Kalinak?

Music makes images pliable, allowing films to manipulate time and space, influencing audience's acceptance of editing.

Define Diegetic Music.

Diegetic music is sound coming from a source visible on the screen.

Define Non-Diegetic Music.

Non-diegetic music is sound coming from outside the universe of the film.

What defines a musical film?

A musical film is a genre where songs by characters are interwoven into the narrative, often accompanied by dancing.

What distinguishes masala films in Indian cinema?

Masala films combine multiple genres, heightened emotions, and dramatic elements, akin to a mélange of spices and are family oriented.

Who are noted playback singers in Indian cinema?

Notable playback singers include Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.

What does the term 'leitmotif' refer to?

Leitmotif is a recurring musical theme associated with a particular character, idea, or situation.

What was the gross income of the Indian cinema industry in 2015?

The gross income of the Indian cinema industry was $2 billion.

Stylistics

Musical/ Playback singing - “These [song and dance] sequences--often elaborately choreographed and lavishly produced and with their own particular division of artistic labor whereby the songs are actually rendered by off-screen ‘playback singers’ rather than the onscreen actors-are characterized in academic, media and audience discourses as the quintessential feature of popular Hindi cinema, and an index of its distinctiveness in the global media landscape.” (Tejaswini Ganti, 341)